1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that generates an application program executable by an image reproducing apparatus, a control method for the information processing apparatus, and a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional video cameras used for capturing moving image generally use tape media with high recording capacity as their recording media due to the large size of the moving image data. However, due to recent advances in moving image data compression techniques, as well as a trend toward higher capacities in optical discs, magnetic discs, semiconductor memories, and so on, video cameras that use such discs and memories as their recording media are becoming common.
As opposed to conventional tape media, media such as optical discs, magnetic discs, and semiconductor memories enable random access. Accordingly, not only has the searchability of moving image captured by video cameras improved dramatically, but it has also become easier to record still image data along with moving image data on the same medium.
For example, video cameras that record both moving image data and still image data onto disc-type media such as a DVD record the moving image data and still image data based on their respective individual standards.
The DVD Video standard, DVD VR standard, and so on are often used as the standard for moving image data. This makes it possible to reproduce moving image data that has been recorded by a video camera onto a DVD using an image reproducing apparatus, such as a DVD-Video player, which has become a common item in today's households. Meanwhile, the Design Rule for Camera File System (DCF) standard, which is a standard for recording still image data using a digital still camera, is often used as the standard for still image data. This makes it possible to collectively handle the recording media for digital still cameras and the recording media for video cameras using, for example, a personal computer (PC).
Still image data recorded onto a disc in accordance with the DCF standard is not compliant with standards for moving image data, such as the DVD Video standard. For this reason, normal video players cannot reproduce such still image data; therefore, only some video players, whose functionality has been proprietarily expanded by the maker, have been able to reproduce such data.
A technique is known in which still image data based on the DCF standard is converted into moving image frame data and recorded onto a disc as moving image data in order to enable the still image data to be viewed using a normal video player (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-201170). According to this technique, still images can be displayed as a slideshow by reproducing the moving image data generated from the still image data.
FIG. 17 is a function block diagram illustrating the configuration of an information processing apparatus 1700 that generates and records moving image data based on still image data. Moving image data recorded in accordance with a moving image data standard is stored in a recording medium 1707 along with still image data recorded in accordance with a still image standard. A medium reproduction unit 1701 reads out the still image data from the recording medium 1707 in accordance with control performed by a system controller 1703, and supplies the still image data to a still image information obtaining unit 1702. The still image information obtaining unit 1702 obtains, from the supplied still image data, information such as the path of the still image data in the recording medium 1707, the total number of still images, and so on (still image recording information). Based on the still image recording information, the system controller 1703 controls a slideshow moving image generation unit 1717 and a moving image encoding unit 1718, generating moving image data in which the still image data is arranged as moving image frame data (in other words, a slideshow moving image).
To be more specific, the slideshow moving image generation unit 1717 sequentially receives the still image data from the medium reproduction unit 1701, reduces the still image data to the frame size of the moving image, and supplies the resultant to the moving image encoding unit 1718. In accordance with control performed by the system controller 1703, the moving image encoding unit 1718 sequentially encodes the still image data supplied by the slideshow moving image generation unit 1717, generating a slideshow moving image in which the still image data is arranged as frame data.
The slideshow moving image generally has still image data encoded as MPEG-2 I pictures as frame data. The speed of the slideshow is controlled by controlling the presentation time of the I pictures. The slideshow moving image encoded by the moving image encoding unit 1718 is multiplexed with audio data and the like using a multiplexer 1719, and is recorded by a medium recording unit 1706 onto the recording medium 1707 as a recorded moving image stream.
FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of the file directory structure of the recording medium 1707 onto which the slideshow moving image described with reference to FIG. 17 is recorded. The recording medium 1707 has a root directory 1801. The root directory 1801 has two directories: a moving image area directory 1802 in which is recorded data in accordance with a moving image data standard; and a still image area directory 1803 in which is recorded data in accordance with a still image data standard. A normal video player as described earlier can reproduce the data within the moving image area directory 1802, but cannot reproduce the data within the still image area directory 1803.
The moving image area directory 1802 has moving image management data 1804 in which is recorded information for managing the moving image data, and a playlist folder 1805 in which are stored playlists 1810 to 1812 for controlling the reproduction of the moving image data. The moving image area directory 1802 also has a moving image folder 1806 in which is stored moving image data 1813 to 1815.
The still image area directory 1803 has a still image folder 1809 in which is stored still image data 1816 to 1818 in accordance with a still image data standard.
Slideshow moving image data 1826 generated by the information processing apparatus 1700 as described earlier has the still image data 1816 to 1818 as frame data, and is stored in the moving image folder 1806. Furthermore, a slideshow playlist 1825, serving as a playlist for controlling the reproduction of the slideshow moving image data 1826, is recorded in the playlist folder 1805.
However, when generating a slideshow moving image, the still image data is reduced in size according to the standard supported by the normal video player, reducing the number of pixels and therefore decreasing the quality of the still image. Accordingly, with the conventional technique, a user can only view still images at a reduced quality, even if the still images were captured with a digital still camera or video camera at high resolution.